It is desirable to use robotic devices in many industries. U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,748 B2 entitled “Intelligent, Self-Contained Robotic Hand” discloses a known robotic hand comprising three fingers. However, it is desirable for a robotic hand to imitate a human hands gripping functionality and range of movement.
The human hand is capable of numerous, and a wide range of, movements. In addition, the human hand is capable of gripping objects of numerous different sizes using a wide range of forces from very delicate to very strong. The vast range of movements and functionality are difficult to mimic, since each additional range of movement requires the use of a further joint in the robotic hand. Each joint of a robotic hand requires a power supply and control means, both of which require connection to the joint. This results in a highly complex arrangements of wires, which multiplies for every additional joint. The large numbers of wires results in robotic hands being complex to produce and bulky, which in turn reduces the dexterity of the robotic hand.
The present invention aims to provide a robotic hand which more closely mimics a human hand. In addition, the present invention aims to provide a robotic hand which has more accurate control and which is less bulky than known robotic hands.